Newly released satellite images reveal catastrophic damage caused by the Hill Country floods along the Guadalupe River.

A Kerrville-area river authority executed a contract for a flood warning system that would have been used to help with emergency response, local officials said.

With more than 170 still missing, communities must reconcile how to pick up the pieces around a waterway that remains both a wellspring and a looming menace.

Residents say Kerr County’s use of CodeRED alerts was sporadic and inconsistent. Local officials have not answered questions about when and how they utilized the system, which has been in place since 2009.

Follow along for developments on the July Fourth floods along the Guadalupe River in Kerr County and Central Texas.

Federal forecasters issued their first flood warning at 1:14 a.m. on July 4. Local officials haven’t shed light on when they saw the warnings or whether they saw them in time to take action.

SAN ANTONIO — Five days after the waters of the Guadalupe River rose and overwhelmed much of Kerr Country on July Fourth, search and recovery efforts continue as the community picks up the pieces of one of the state's worst natural disasters in years.

Crews continue searching for victims a day after Gov. Greg Abbott said as many as 161 people could still be missing.